In Berlin, do I have to pay for parking a car on weekends as well?

Question

As far as I know, if I want to park a car in Berlin a I have to pay for the parking ticket. Do I have to pay on Saturdays and Sundays as well, or is parking on weekends free?

Answer 1

The rules depend on the specific place you want to park and are always posted there.

The city districts are in charge of parking so the specifics differ from district to district. At the moment mostly only to park in the dark red zones of the map below you need a parking ticket (source).

Of course the districts need some rules after which they model their parking zones. According to section 3.1.4 parking should be generally free at the night and on Sundays. Parking is usually only charged Monday through Friday 9am to 8pm and Saturdays 9am to 6pm.

The rules specifically mention the possibility to extend those times if needed in that place. So you always should check how the times are at the place you want to park!

In German that sounds this:

Als Regelzeiten werden empfohlen:

• Montag bis Freitag 9-20 Uhr
• Sonnabend 9-18 Uhr.

Die gesonderte Betrachtung der Advents-Sonnabende entfällt. In Einzelfällen mit hohem Gastronomie- und Freizeitanteil kann es sinnvoll sein, die Bewirtschaftungszeiten auf Grundlage entsprechender Untersuchungen in die Abendstunden und/oder auf den Sonntag auszudehnen.

Die Bewirtschaftungszeiten sollten möglichst berlinweit einheitlich angewandt werden, um Irritationen der Autofahrer zu vermeiden.

Translation off the top of my head:

Recommended common time periods:

• Monday to Friday 9 a.m. – 8 p.m.
• Saturday 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.

A special consideration of Saturdays during advent is omitted. In singular cases with a high ratio of [traffic related to] gastronomy or leisure it may be sensible to extend [parking space] management time periods to the evening hours or Sunday based on suitable studies.

Preferably the management time periods should be applied consistently across Berlin to avoid irritation among vehicle drivers.